Tunisian forces have killed the leader of the jihadists accused of organising the massacre at its national museum.

A total of 21 tourists were killed in the attack on the Bardo Museum.

Authorities said Lokmane Abou Sakhr — an Algerian who was singled out as the organiser of the museum attack — was killed along with at least eight others from the notorious Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigade.

Officials had accused Abou Sakhr and his group of organising the attack on the Bardo Museum.
Tunisian forces “were able to kill the most important members of the Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigade including its head Lokmane Abou Sakhr,” Prime Minister Habib Essid told reporters.

Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui earlier told AFP that security forces had killed “nine terrorists” in an operation in the west-central area of Sidi Aich against Okba Ibn Nafaa.

“We are very pleased… the nine were among the most dangerous terrorists in Tunisia,” he said.

Authorities say Okba Ibn Nafaa has been behind a series of attacks on security forces that have left some 60 dead since late 2012.

Some 12,000 people set off on Sunday for the march “against terrorism” in Tunis, waving Tunisian flags and chanting: “Tunisia is free! Terrorism out!”

The march was to go from Tunis’s Bab Saadoun Square to the museum, where a stone tablet was to be dedicated to the memory of the 21 foreign tourists and Tunisian policeman killed in the attack.